Results, second semi: 2008 New York’s Funniest Stand-Up

There was a tie! We don’t know what that means, other than the fact that six more stand-up comedians made it into the finals of the 2008 New York’s Funniest Stand-Up contest, instead of five, and they are:

They join the other semi’s "winners," Nate Bargatze, Esther Ku, Julian McCullough, Reese Waters, and Stone & Stone in the finals, to be contested Nov. 5 at Carolines as part of the New York Comedy Festival.

My notes: Amid a ton of distractions in my personal life that are not the least
bit comedic (well, I suppose in time, tragedy will equal comedy), I
managed to see most of the second semifinal, and got to Stand-Up NY just as a run of solid performances had the crowd (half house) rolling. So I missed the winning sets of Geno Bisconte and D.C. Benny. Although did anyone really doubt that D.C. Benny would make the finals, considering how long he has been part of the city’s comedy scene? Of those I saw who didn’t advance, I thought Jermaine Fowler and Liz Miele made strong cases for themselves, while Taylor Williamson showed promise. One of the things Williamson has learned already about living in NYC: "Just because you’re homeless does’t mean you can’t have cats." Also: Pretty women on the subway don’t want to talk to up-and-coming comedians. There were some odd set decisions for a contest, such as a few comics who did crowd work within a five-minute limit or those who went topical. Although it didn’t prevent Jordan Carlos from getting a finalist slot. Thought it very strange for Rory Scovel to have his intro for "New York’s Funniest Stand-Up contest" be "this comic is from D.C." Then again, every time I see Scovel in an industry situation, he makes a bold onstage choice. This time he opened with an extended bit about campaign rallies that segued into doing mushrooms. Mike Vecchione proved yet again that being influenced by Dave Attell is not a bad thing. Myq Kaplan, a new New Yorker, made a strong first impression on the industry judges. And Hailey Boyle made the most of her move here from Alaska with jokes about how different her life is here versus there, with plenty of attitude. If you’re wondering how she feels about Sarah Palin, well, after a quick profanity brush-off, Boyle adds: "I love Alaska, but not as much as I love abortions!"

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Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.